Mark McKellar is a wildlife biologist with over 40 years of bird study experience. He has a degree in Fish and Wildlife Sciences from North Carolina State University and has worked for the Department of the Army, the Wildlife Departments of North Carolina and Missouri. He ran nature centers for many years in Missouri and Pennsylvania before buying the Backyard Bird Center in the Northland area of Kansas City. Mark has led hundreds of bird hikes both locally and abroad. He has taught classes about birds and other wildlife to groups of all ages and brings that knowledge to the customers of his retail business every day. More information about Mark at backyardbirdcenter.com/about-mark #marksbackyardbirds
@@beckyclanton8033 it will likely settle down somewhere and sleep for the night. You can pick them up while they or sleeping or make sure a door is open in the morning
Haven't had but one or 2 in the last couple of years. There's about 50 grey color finches and a few red ones. I thought maybe they've lost their color for whatever reason.
@@RuralEmo311 Goldfinches do molt into there drab olive plumage for winter but House Finches do not. The goldfinches will molt during September and October.
Yes! Yes! Every hummer feeder needs a water well. Please refill everyday. Hummers as well as other birds will drink water from this little Humming Bird Feeder water well. 😊😊😊😊
I have tons of Lesser Goldfinches and House finches. I also have Hooded Orioles, nuttel woodpeckers, house wrens and song sparrows and doves. Luckily I don't really get house sparrows.
I love the Cedar Waxwings, and that was a nice picture you shared of them. Also, good idea of including mealworms at feeding stations. What the Carolina Wren lacks in color, it defiantly makes up for in its beautiful songs.
If you have a fruit trees, native bushes, plants, trees, water in your yard you will never be empty or boring throughout the four season's. My feeder ( suet, peanuts, sunflower seeds ONLY ) is busy in the am and pm during the day they all spread out all over the yard busy getting insects or seeds or berry... My deck garden is completely covered with salvias and major wheelers and planted every 10ft of our yard so ruby is everywhere now 08/13/24 we use large decorated wreaths in each window to prevent window collision works better then sticker/ snow spray im in Zone 7B VA Quantico area live by the water so our area is coastal migration route we see many birds stopping by spring and fall starting to spot monarch here. 1st seeing ruby's was at the end of week of March our own male ruby made back home on 2nd week of April ( 2 weeks early then usual ). Our last clutch of the season 2024 has just fledged yesterday I'm going to clean last nest box preparing for roosting / storm shelter Early spring we planted a sea of rudbeckia and cornflower and anise we have a multiplied Goldfinch... 😂
I live in Central Texas. I noticed these birds a couple of summers ago. They nested in trees down by our pond about 200 yds from the house. This summer I saw six sitting in a tree with dead limbs. I have been trying to identify them. The ones I have are not as white more grey. But they have a distinctive call. I was not happy because I saw them swoop down on some baby chicks my hen had hatched out. Pretty sure they got one. Caused quit a stir among the chickens. Have really been worried because of the chicks. They sit in the big dead tree in the yard. Like they are watching the chicks. But I see them swooping around the tree tops. Not hearing or seeing as many cicadas this year. Chicks are getting bigger. None have been missing. So they seem to prefer bugs. 😅 like to watch them fly and swoop. I had blue barn swallows at old house they always nested on the porch would come back every spring. I miss them. 😢
They are great birds and do prefer insects but like all bird of prey, if an opportunity arises, they will take advantage of it. The eat lots of lizards and snakes in much of their range.
Hello Mark, Would you be able to do a talk on owl’s? Feeding habits, nesting and boxes? Basic build for Great Horned owls? I have at least 2 in my woods next to my house. Thank you
Do the babies that survive until next year return to my house next year? We bought our house in December of 23 and I have 3 feeders that I was filling up at least every other day a few weeks ago. It's slowed down just a little more but still probably have over a dozen (I've counted a dozen at one time do have no clue how many there really are) but the lady we bought the house from said they always kept feeders out and they had a lot a well. Are these multi generational hummers?
Hi Mark I’m new to bird feeding and would love to see gold finches in my yard, could you please advise me what food I should put out to attract them? Thank you so much I really appreciate your channel I have learned a lot ! Thanks again from Massachusetts.
Many suggest Nyjer seed for goldfinches, I prefer fine sunflower kernels (chips) or a mixture of the two (we call it black tie mix). Thank you for the kind words! Do a search of my videos when you are in my channel. Enter goldfinch and it should bring up several videos I have done about them.
Oh my God Mark I wish I would have seen this video before my suet logs arrived. First stupid mistake I made is I assumed they were for tree icing and I opened a box and started filling the holes and then I realized this is silly it can't possibly be for peanut butter so I read the instructions and saw that it was for suet. I last and took out some suit cakes without gloves and started breaking it up and pushing them into the holes with my fingers and my knife and everything became a greasy disaster. Wish I would have known that you actually sell sue it plugs which fit nicely into these. I hung them and can't wait for the birds to find them and take some great pictures but once again as a newbie you'll learn something and that's what your videos are so amazing and very helpful. Now let's hope my fingers recover from being slimy and greasy in less than a week. 😅
Currently Mark I am storing my bird seed in plastic bins in my garage. As you know I live in Manalapan New Jersey and the temperature is in August were pretty bad. I have a small refrigerator for my mealworms and my tree icing but it's not big enough to store my seeds and I don't think the wife will be happy about my putting that in the refrigerator. Yesterday I ordered a metal 31 gallon trash can should I keep that metal trash can in the garage or should I keep it outside? I think the outside of my house will be hotter.
Can't wait to see one of these. As you know I'm new to this hobby and haven't seen any this summer. Hopefully this winter I will get to experience seeing some. I'm so dedicated that I actually bought a patio heater so that when it gets cold I can still go out and photograph the birds. My wife thinks I've lost my mind. 😅
I had four golden finches hanging off my sunflowers today, eating the green seeds sunflowers from seeds from the feeder that fell and germinated. My hummingbirds are getting more active and larger numbers just lately here in southeast Mo.
Oh how wonderful I only saw two of these American finches all summer. As you know I bought another Finch feed or the spiral one so I am excited to hearing that the American goldfinches may be returning.
My feeder is full of house finches and these annoying cowbirds. I've got 3 hummingbirds this week so I appreciate that but my pretty birds are not around.
Is it good to place a little Apple Cider Vinegar in with the bird bath water? I've been told that it helps keep the bath clean by not letting the algae grow and it gives the birds some vitamins & minerals as well. Can birds "taste" Apple Cider Vinegar? Or . . . have I once again, just been told wrong?
Yes I'm also seeing more too young house finches and yellow finches come to the feeders and I also have baby bluebirds that just hatched at the house again this is their 3rd brood year and I also have another brood of bluebird eggs in the back field that hasn't hatched yet it will be their 3rd batch also this year it's been a busy season this year for birds here in Indiana where I live...
@@misscherie9230 we say any new feeder can take up to two weeks or more for birds to get brave enough to visit. They have to test it and make sure it isn’t going to eat them. It’s never the same from feeder to feeder.
I get a lot of house finches, but they do not stay long. My biggest problem birds are the mourning doves. They stay long and scatter the feed and are big eaters. I have a double perch and a big food tray with this WiFi feeder, and the doves take advantage of it.
I don't know what else to try! My gold finch have not been here at all this year. I noticed a drop in these birds last year. I have cleaned my bird feeder thoroughly, bought a new one in case there was something wrong with the old one, replaced the nyjer with fresh, new nyjer seed, tried adding a different type of seed, and I tried whatever else I could find on the internet. I see no threat of squirrels around, or any other type of threat. How do I get them back? Thank you.
@@MarksBackyardBirds Interesting! There is a large development nearby. An entire wooded area was cut down to make way for new home construction. Hope my little friends will come back at some point. Thank you, Mark.
is the store bought red hummingbird food okay to use or should I make my own? I have hummingbirds at my flowering shrubs but I never see them at the feeder with the store bought stuff.
I always worry about red food. If the red color is from a chemical dye, I would not use it. They do not know what color the nectar is, as long the feeder has colorful flowers, clear or homemade nectar should be fine.
@@jimb408 Sparrows are everywhere right now since their young have fledged. It appears to have been a banner year for them. This is when you may want to to try putting out some millet on a bare spot away from your feeders to try and lure them away.
I have to keep the grill on the front of my Honda CRV covered while parked, or else they try to build their nest in it. It has large holes and sort of honeycomb shape. Honda needs to rethink this design. The holes are large enough for birds to enter.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to find nurseries that carry a good amount of native plants and trees in my area. According to the Washington State University Whitman County Extension office, many local nurseries don't carry many native plants and trees due to a lack of demand.
I wish I had seen your video much sooner. I became infested with these buggers. I moved the seed outside & slowly but surely my husband & I are combating them. This also goes for Suet cakes. Had to move everything pertaining to bird seed outside. I have washed & sanitized the area I had them & they are still showing up; but not in large quantities as we had before. Hopefully, with our persistence, we will eventually get rid of them all. It is a slow process; especially for seniors.😟😟😟
Don’t do this for several reasons. First is you’re creating a watering hole for bees and wasps. Just put some ant killer pellets at the base of whatever you’re keeping them out of. They’ll take the food of easiest necessity first.
Bluebirds fledged 2 broods in my box this year. The male liked to get suet from that feeder and feed the babies and brought fledglings to it. I was hoping for a 3rd brood, but mockingbirds now dominate that feeder. I wonder if the bluebirds have been scared off. I still get downy woodpeckers at it, but am not seeing bluebirds. I hear them in the distance. Also, I’m getting a fledgling mocker that is making an annoying peeping call. When do they learn to sing; is this perhaps a fledgling female? It seems to be feeding itself after about 2 weeks or so, but it still calls constantly.
While it is possible, it is more likely they nested in a different location as good survival instincts. Staying in one place too long increases your chances of being located by a predator. It is believed that they actually learn much of their repertoire from the sounds they hear while in the nest. Peeping is usually begging for the young ones.
